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Long’s Peak, perhaps best viewed from Longmont, if not the top (at 14,259 feet), tops the to-do lists of many climbers. You have to be in great shape and, at most points in the year, you’ll need technical climbing equipment like ropes, an ice ax, and crampons.
But for a short window between mid-July and mid-September each year, climbers can take a less technical path called the Keyhole Route, points out the National Park Service. Still, many have not returned alive, including Jeffrey R. Rosinski of Rhode Island, who apparently fell victim to vicious winds and was blown off the peak after traversing the Keyhole trail, according to The Denver Post. Rosinski’s body was recovered on Friday afternoon.
On Saturday, Boulder’s William Esposito had to be rescued after falling while climbing the same trail, reports the Daily Camera.
Even relatively easier hikes can become perilous. In Colorado Springs, a local woman was rescued approaching the summit of Pikes Peak by two Air Force Academy cadets hiking up Barr Trail. They carried her to the peak for help, writes KKTV.